CEiMB: Shrimp Roll

Let me preface this entry by saying that neither Ryan nor I are fans of mayonnaise. We do not eat chicken salad, tuna salad, potato salad, egg salad, or any other kind of “salad” whose main ingredient is mayonnaise. (Does anyone else find the irony in these dishes being called “salads”?) I do not use it on my sandwiches or dip my french fries in it. In fact, until I studied abroad in England, I would not even get close to eating mayonnaise in any form. It was on that trip, where we were forced to eat pre-packaged sandwiches while on day trips, that I learned to eat the lightest bit of mayo on my sandwiches since they came with mayonnaise on them and I couldn’t wipe it all off. Within the past six months, I’ve made a handful of recipes containing very little bits of mayonnaise as well. I feel like all of these baby steps were preparing me for this week’s CEiMB recipe.

I really wanted to sit out this week. Ryan was pretty insistent, right up until I was actually making the shrimp mixture, that we should just order pizza. As tempting as that offer was, I challenged myself to try something different, something out of the realm of things I would normally make. I joined CEiMB as a way to encourage myself to try new things, and, unfortunately, I have sat out a few weeks because I just couldn’t wrap my head around the chosen recipe. In the end, I felt disappointed that I didn’t at least try it. I mean, the worst that could happen is that we don’t like it and end up ordering some sort of greasy delivery food, right? Well, that is exactly the promise I made to Ryan – if it didn’t turn out, we would order pizza.

So, with much hesitation, we tried Ellie’s Shrimp Rolls, chosen by Lonely Sidecar. I was excited that they came together really quickly and were incredibly simple to prepare. In my mind, this is perfect summer food in that they take virtually no time or effort to make which makes them perfect for nights when you come home late after spending too much time by the pool, on the boat, at the beach, in the hammock, or whatever leisurely summer activity you partake. The other great thing about this recipe that makes it perfect for the warmer weather is that there is no stove to stand over, no oven to preheat, and basically no reason for your kitchen to get so hot that it makes your entire apartment unbearable. (Oh, only we have that problem? Figures.)

Now it’s time for the “but”. But, they really weren’t great. The scallion and especially the celery provide a great crunch and flavor. The Greek yogurt tempers the mayonnaise (for the most part) so you end up with a really creamy but still light sauce. The lemon juice adds a nice zing and hint of freshness. All good things. Unfortunately, it was just really bland. In that sense, it was much better than I expected because I was sure I would hate it and the mayonnaise would be over-powering. I considered adding creole seasoning or even curry powder, but I really wasn’t sure how that would work out. Since I could eat it as it was, I was scared to add something that might make it inedible. Even if it had been a little more flavorful, I’m still not sure it was something we will make again since Ryan ended up making himself a sandwich after taking a couple bites then looking at me with the most pitiful look and saying, “At what point is it OK for me to just make peanut butter and jelly?” Ha! Sad, right? Well, at least he tried.

If you are someone who likes chicken salad or tuna salad, I recommend you give this a chance. It’s quite a lot of food – there is so much filling I had to eat mine as an open-faced sandwich because there was no way I could have picked that up or made my bun close – and must be a healthier alternative to standard creamy sandwich fillers. I wish we had liked it more because I really did enjoy having dinner ready so quickly!

I agree that these weren’t fantastic either, but I did really enjoy the sauce and would def. use it in place of straight up mayo on chicken/tuna salads in the future.

I am also anti-Mayo in most every form. Especially the crap that comes out of the jar. Homemade aioli/mayo on the other hand is truly a thing of beauty and easy to make. You should try your hand at that before you swear it off completely (I still only eat it maybe 5 times a year).

Good for you for trying something new! Though I have to say, even if I did cook seafood at home I don’t know if I would have made this — here on the CT shore, it’s a crime to put mayo on lobster. We eat hot picked lobster on a hot dog roll with melted butter poured over them. Not healthy, but SO good!

Baked onion rings!? You’re one step ahead of us :) Your photo looks great! Unfortunately, as you probably know since you commented my shrimp roll post, I ended up with the same bland results. I’m not a very big fan of cold meat/creamy salads like tuna or chicken salad either so I don’t think this recipe ever stood a chance with us!